GERMAN RETURN TO GENEVA

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21387, 1 February 1935, Page 11

GERMAN RETURN TO GENEVA

: 4 i Aim of British Cabinet A LONDON STATEMENT | | (CXITZD PP.RSS ASSOCIATIOH—BY ELECTRIC I TELBGRAPH—COPYAIGHT.I | (Received February 1, 12.25 a.m.) LONDON, January 31. Discussing the visit of M. PierreEttienne Flandin (French Premier), the diplomatic correspondent of the "Morning Post" says Great Britain proposes that Germany should reenter the League of Nations and accept limitation of armaments, and France to agree to abrogate the military clauses of the Versailles Treaty. French approval is by no means certain, he says, and in any case will not be obtained without bargaining. TALKS IN LONDON FRENCH MINISTERS' VISIT DISARMAMENT REVIVAL IHIUT.WII OI'TI'-IA!, WIHKI.KS-O RUGBY, January 30. The British Ambassador at Paris (Sir George Russell Clerk) been in touch with M. Pienc-Etti-enne Flandin (French Premier) and !VT Pierre Laval (Foreign Minister), with the object of arranging the lines upon which the discussions they will have with British Ministers in London shall proceed. M. Laval is expected to return to Paris on Saturday afternoon, but M. Flandin may spend the week-end m the country with English friends.

According to British newspapers, the main aim of the British Ministers will be to "vitaii.se tne Geneva agreement of December. which stipulated equality of rights in a regime of security. Many developments have occurred since that time, and an apparent deadlock has been created through the insistence of Germany that her return to the League ol Nations must depend upon the granting of equalitv in practice, and the insistence of the French GovI eminent that Germany's return to [ the League is essential before a [complete system of security can become negotiable. The British view, the newspapers state, is that these problems arc essentially inter-dependent and must be dealt with, and, if possible, settled, simultaneously. Replying to an interpellation in the French Chamber of Deputies yesterday. M. Laval declared that the French Government had no selfish designs, but asked only that equal security should be obtained by every country. According to the Paris correspondent of "The Times." this statement is intended to convey to the German Government an intimation of the goodwill it will find in Paris if it accepts the minimum requirements of France in Ihe matter ol disarmament.